Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imprint apparatus and an article manufacturing method using the same.
Description of the Related Art
As the demand for microfabrication of semiconductor devices increases, not only a conventional photolithography technology but also a microfabrication technology in which a mold and an uncured resin on a substrate are brought into contact with each other to thereby form a resin pattern, which corresponds to the fine concave and convex pattern formed on the mold, on the substrate are present. This technology is also referred to as an “imprint technology”, by which a fine structure with dimensions of a few nanometers can be formed on the substrate. One example of imprint technologies includes a photo-curing method. The photo-curing method first applies an ultraviolet curable resin (imprint resin) to the shot area (imprint area) on the substrate. Next, the resin (uncured resin) and a mold are pressed against each other. After the ultraviolet curable resin is irradiated with ultraviolet light for curing, the cured resin is released from the mold, whereby a resin pattern is formed on the substrate. As a method involving the imprint technology, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-60084 discloses an imprint method that removes a resin layer of an overflowed region overflowed from a processed region.
Here, in the conventional imprint method (apparatus) disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-60084, if particle is present on an imprint area, the particle may be entrapped when a mold is pressed against a resin, resulting in a damage of the concave and convex pattern formed on the mold.